tiredness, and an encounter

I didn't get enough sleep friday thursday night and then I had to wake up too fast on Friday. I used to be expert at getting out of bed and somewhere in 10 minutes flat and feel fine; I made it, but I felt wierd all day. It was like my body never really woke up and was just reluctant about the whole day. I felt clumsy and it seemed like every movement was a challenge. There is also the sense of being shaky--like nothing is quite stable.

Later I caught another wind (where does this wierd phrase come from?) and stayed up late last night, and had to get up early this morning, too. I wasn't tired, and I had time to wake up, but then about 2 I got really tired so I fell into a very deep sleep for 2 hours in Rawlins at the WYDOT site. I make a habit of napping if I get really sleepy while driving, but it isn't the most comfortable thing to sleep in a car. I had to jerk myself awake and get on the road to get home and I felt shaky the rest of the day. I did have a fabulous dinner at Jeffreys with some dreamy stuff called Framboise Lambic Ale. This is a beer which is a beautiful deep red color and an astonishing raspberry flavor. I had it for dessert along with one of their fabulous tortes (their baker is amazing).

Last night as I was working on the IRS application for Friends of Jordan, LJ messaged me. I hadn't talked to him in quite some time, possibly 6 months or so. I met him online about 2 years ago and we've seen each other exactly 3 times, although we've talked a lot. This is a true relationship of convenience, and it is rarely convenient to get together and have sex with someone in Loveland without some planning! Our schedules are usually incompatible. Anyway, he is also very good on the phone, so we had some fun, which is part of why I didn't get enough sleep last night. We seem to meld well sexually, which is fun but not terribly satisfying considering how infrequently it takes place.

My friend Alala has a song of the day; I prefer to try to read a poem every day. Music is sometimes just too much stimulus for me. That started while I was overseas in Jordan when I'd come home so tired from speaking Arabic all day that I just couldn't stand anything but silence. I still love silence. That said, a new favorite singer of mine is James Blunt, introduced to me by MK. The poet of the day is David Romtvedt, poet laureate of Wyoming. You can find reviews of his several books of poetry and essays by putting his name into google. The newest is Some Church, just published by Milkweed Press.

Terry Tempest Williams

I had the great good fortune to meet Terry Tempest Williams today. For those uninitiated, she is a Utah educator and writer who has just moved to Jackson, WY, with her husband, who is the new director of The Murie Center. I have read three of her books now--An Unspoken Hunger, Refuge, and The Open Space of Democracy. Her writing is lyrical, intelligent, and full of the natural world. She is an advocate of people, freedom and the earth.

She came to talk to the Wyoming Leadership Associates Program about democracy and education. This is a dicussion group about the relationship of democracy and education and we read her book, The Open Space of Democracy as one of the discussion spurs.

snowy night

I happen to be in Laramie tonight. I'm actually here for a few hours every day for four days in a row. As my boss said, they didn't set this up for Cheyenne people! Laramie's a nice place, usually, and has a lot of interesting people. Tonight there is piles of snow--I think we got 6 inches or so. The roads are icy, very icy, so going home tonight is not an option. No unnecessary travel, or closed. Apparently Cheyenne got dumped on after I left about 5.

So...it's been awhile. My good friend Alala has been gently reminding me that I have a blog, and she likes it. Which is very nice of her, since it has all of 6 posts, or some such. I don't have a computer at home, and doing this at work seems wrong. Although I do other things at work which I likely shouldn't.

Last night the sink clogged up. Of course, we were having an Guinness Appreciation Party at my house (my roommate's party, really), and by the time everyone got there, I was ready for them to be gone already. The atmosphere was tense--my roommate was unhappy with how her Irish stew was turning out, and I was annoyed because I had to make the soda bread a second time. I left the first one in the oven at least 20 minutes too long, and even though it was edible, I wasn't happy about it, so I made another. Much tastier. I recommend soda bread, and it is easy to make. Anyway, so just after people started coming, the kitchen sink decided to clog. MERCY! Does it always have to happen at just the right moment? It took more than two hours to clear it out, and I was Not Having Fun in spite of my good fortune to have Mr Confusing present and several other helpful people. He plunged and plunged, and then we tried vinigar and baking soda, and then went to the store for the nasty stuff. That finally worked.

The party was fun though. Good food, great people, lots of laughter. I just wasn't into it as much as I might have been. The guinness was good too.